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“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on the receiving end of three formal complaints filed with the federal commissioner of official languages after speaking only French despite English questions at a town hall meeting Tuesday night in Sherbrooke, Que.”

Following the town hall meeting in Sherbrooke, prime minister Justin Trudeau presented some excuses in a press conference saying in retrospect that he could have answered in English during the meeting. His decision to speak only French struck a nerve with members of the English-speaking community in the Eastern Townships.

Reactions from Gerald Cutting, president of the Townshippers’ Association, and James Shea, president of the QCGN, commented by saying how shocking Trudeau’s stance was, even to French-speaking Quebecers. Anthony Housefather, Liberal MP for Mount Royal, considers the event as an anomaly to Trudeau’s “long history of standing up for official bilingualism.”

The CBC wants to hear from anglophone Quebecers about its programming.

Tuesday evening, the public broadcaster is inviting them to a panel discussion with CBC management to ask questions and offer ideas in response to the question: “How can CBC best use mobile, web, TV and radio to tell stories, exchange and engage with Quebec’s English-speaking community?”

The consultation is a new requirement of CBC’s broadcasting licence imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in 2013. While the CBC had been consulting francophone communities in the rest of Canada, the CRTC said it should also consult the anglophone minority in Quebec, and that it should do both on a regular basis — once every two years — and report on those meetings to the commission. Read more…

Quebec’s English-speaking communities need to see themselves reflected on the airwaves , the Quebec Community Groups Network told the Transport and Communications Committee, which is in Montreal conducting a study on the challenges faced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In preparation for its presentation, the QCGN consulted a cross-section of members from across Quebec. “We were not surprised by the level of attachment we heard to the CBC in general, and CBC radio in particular,” said QCGN Board Secretary Walter Duszara. “CBC Radio is the media glue that binds us; a proactive and welcome presence, whose importance – especially to isolated communities and vulnerable populations like seniors – cannot be overstated.”

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN) are pleased with the CRTC’s decision regarding the licence renewal of CBC that added some new conditions that will benefit Quebec as a region and Quebec’s English-speaking community as an official language minority.

“This week’s decision demonstrates that the CRTC has been listening and the decision will have positive impacts for English-speaking Quebec and other official language minority communities across Canada,” said QCGN President Dan Lamoureux. “This is excellent news for English-speaking Quebecers.”

Under the new licence conditions, CBC Montreal must produce at least 14 hours of local programming, starting September 1, 2013, explains Guy Rodgers, Executive Director of ELAN. At least one of these hours must be non-news programming, restoring local content that has not existed since 2009. Ten per cent of its English television development budget must now be allocated to independent producers in Quebec. Conditions also force CBC to consult with Official Language Minority Communities, something the public broadcaster has already begun in Quebec.

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN), an organization that works to defend the rights of anglophones, said it’s not surprised people are crossing the border.

‘There’s an enormous brain drain’—Sylvia Martin-Laforge, QCGN Sylvia Martin-Laforge, director general of the QCGN, said she is not surprised a significant population of English-speakers has considered leaving.

For her, the poll results suggest a significant percentage of the English-speaking population is unhappy about their place in Quebec.

“Forty-two per cent is a pretty big number,” she said.

Martin-Laforge said the PQ’s stance on language laws has created concern among anglophones since the election.

November 17, 2011 – CBC has teamed up with the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and community groups in Quebec to sponsor a video contest that encourages English-speaking high school students to discover the history and heritage of their families and communities.

”As the country’s public broadcaster, CBC is committed to connecting people and telling their stories, ” said Pia Marquard, managing director at CBC Quebec. ”Our history and traditions are incredibly rich here. I’m looking forward to seeing the videos these students produce.”

Co-sponsored by the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) and the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), the ‘My Quebec Roots’ video contest is designed to highlight the vibrant stories of their communities through pictures, sound and spoken word, exploring their past through the traditions of oral history and recording the stories of their community and family elders.

November 17, 2011 – CBC has teamed up with the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and community groups in Quebec to sponsor a video contest that encourages English-speaking high school students to discover the history and heritage of their families and communities.

”As the country’s public broadcaster, CBC is committed to connecting people and telling their stories, ” said Pia Marquard, managing director at CBC Quebec. ”Our history and traditions are incredibly rich here. I’m looking forward to seeing the videos these students produce.”

Co-sponsored by the English-Language Arts Network (ELAN), the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) and the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), the ‘My Quebec Roots’ video contest is designed to highlight the vibrant stories of their communities through pictures, sound and spoken word, exploring their past through the traditions of oral history and recording the stories of their community and family elders.